Education

Every four years a large group of voters get a chance to cast their first ballot for the U.S. President. These voters were m ost likely in high school the last time a president was elected. After a big turn-out of young voters helped push President Barack Obama to victory in the 2008 election, new voters have become a major focus for this year’s campaigns. So with both sides trying to turn young adults into their next party faithful, how does this next generation of voters decide which candidate is right for them?

Western Kentucky counties scored slightly above the state average on Kentucky’s new testing standards. The state’s new accountability model measures districts through subject tests, achievement gaps, growth, college readiness, and graduation rates. Fifty-five point two percent was the state average of those areas, while western Kentucky’s average was 56.6 percent. Murray Independent School District was western Kentucky’s highest scorer, and Fulton County School District was the lowest.

More than half of Kentucky's public high school students last year were not prepared for college or careers based on the results of an assessment released today. Despite that finding, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday said the results were significantly improved from the previous year's 38 percent. Of the more than 43,000 high school students who received diplomas last spring, about 18,700 were deemed college ready. That's up from about 15,000 found to be college ready the previous year.

Murray State University's enrollment has risen by 2 percent to an estimated 10,832 students. Fall 2012 enrollment showed 6.5 percent growth in freshmen and an 18 percent increase in International students across the board — freshman, transfer and graduate students.

The Kentucky Division of Protection & Advocacy and the Commonwealth Council on Developmental Disabilities have released a booklet highlighting the potentially dangerous and harmful effects of restraining and secluding school children. Director Marsha Hockensmith says Kentucky Protection & Advocacy has received more than 100 complaints over the past five years of public schools immobilizing students or confining them to a closed room.